F1. Abu Dhabi 2024 Review

By Gavin Huet, Aiden McLaughlin, Graeme Woolf and Chelsea Wintle

Driver of the day

Gavin – Lando Norris drove a faultless race to win from pole and thereby securing the Constructors Championship for McLaren, the first in 26 years. Lando also had to contend with his team mate Oscar Piastri being taken out on the first corner by Max Verstappen in the Red Bull thereby putting the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz in the hunt for the victory that ultimately fell short and ended in second place. Even a magnificent drive by Charles Leclerc in the other Ferrari to go from 19th to 3rd could not stop Lando from delivering the ultimate team prize.

Chelsea – Charles Leclerc qualified poorly and started with a 10-place grid penalty, leaving him in the back row when the lights went out. An incredible first lap saw him weaving through chaos and performing a number of cool overtakes. A calm race and smart tyre management saw him finish the race in third behind Sainz, leaving me very excited for what the Scuderia can achieve in 2025.

Graeme – Charles Leclerc. After taking a 10 place grid penalty pre race, Leclerc had a terrible qualifying dropping him to 19th on the grid to start the final race of the season. This was pretty much the worst case scenario for Ferrari in their quest for the Constructors Championship. But he had other ideas. Leclerc jumped multiple places on lap one, thanks in part to other drivers failures and in part to good driving, and pulled off a one stop strategy to finish 3rd, a 16 place improvement on his starting position. Although short of winning the Constructors, it was a good day at the office for the Ferrari man.

Aiden – Possibly the most tricky DOTD decision of the season. Lando Norris needed to lead from start to finish to clinch the Constructors Championship after Oscar Piastri spun and ended up at the back of the field. Carlos Sainz drove beautifully to finish second. Charles Leclerc rose from 19th to third. But the pass by Lewis Hamilton to overtake George Russell on the last lap and finish fourth having started in P16 was vintage stuff from the seven-time World Champion and means he’s my choice.

 

Moment of the weekend

Gavin – Lewis Hamilton overtaking his Mercedes team mate George Russell on the final lap to finish fourth. Lewis has had a terrible season by his standards, especially when you compare it to George. So getting one up on his team mate on the final lap of the final race of his final season at Mercedes would have made him happier than he has been. And come on, we need Lewis to be happy at Ferrari next year don’t we?

Chelsea – Zak Brown on the podium, getting absolutely saturated in champagne, while an ordinarily dour Andreas Stella grinned maniacally. McLaren thoroughly deserved their constructor’s championship, and it was a joy to watch them celebrate. What a couple of years we have ahead – next year it could be theirs again, or Red Bull’s, or Ferrari’s… and then in 2026 it’s anyone’s game. Love this sport.

Graeme – Did a rogue bollard from Kevin Magnussen’s car end any hopes of a fairytale finish to Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes career? Maybe it did, but we’ll never know. Despite this unfortunate piece of bad luck in Qualifying on Saturday, Hamilton drove a superb race and still finished with his head held high after what has been a frustrating season for him. It was a special moment after the race when he knelt beside his Mercedes for one final time. What a ride Hamilton and Mercedes have had together over the last 12 years. I’m interested to see how he goes in Ferrari colours next year.

Aiden – The exchanges between Hamilton, Toto Wolff and race engineer Peter ‘Bono’ Bonnington would surely have made ever the toughest nuts crack and even shed a tear. As difficult as the last three seasons have been for Mercedes, their success together will go down in F1 history. As Hamilton said on the team radio:”We dreamed alone but together we believed. Thank you for all the courage, the determination, the passion for supporting me.”
“What started out as a leap of faith turned into a journey into the history books.”

 

Hot take of the weekend

Gavin – I think everyone agrees that Sergio Perez will not be racing for Red Bull next year, but it does seem like they are going to give him the same kind of send off that their sister team VCARB gave Daniel Ricciardo i.e. nothing. Whilst I am not a big Sergio fan and his results this year cost the team the Constructors Championship, he should still be allowed to have a proper send off in front of the crowds and not via some press release in the next couple of days. But then again Red Bull are usually pricks so this should not surprise me.

Chelsea – The longest F1 season in history saw some predictable outcomes this week, with exhausted drivers Verstappen and Russell hysterically (and hilariously) snappy. Ultimately, Verstappen’s actions in the final race meant he can be deemed the loser – first carelessly clipping Piastri in the first lap, then regurgitating a stream of bile directed at the stewards for giving him a penalty. Pretty lame Max. Go take a nap.

Graeme – I’ve got 2 actually.

1. Both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were asked postrace in the media pen and by Sky UK, if they could win the Driver’s Championship next year. Both said yes. And this is why neither will win it in 2025. It’s the McLaren way (Papaya Rules) and that’s cool, but as long as they don’t go all in on Lando, I can’t see either of them winning it. Constructors, yes, Drivers, no.
   2. Sprint Races need to go. Purely as a viewer, I don’t see the point of them. They are just processions and not a lot happens during them. The FIA need to move on from them and just have the 3 practice sessions, qualifying and main race every weekend. Call me old school, but I see no place for Sprint Races.

Aiden – Not sure if this is hot, cold, or somewhere in-between, but I’ll add some detail to spruce it up a bit. Liam Lawson will replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull, with Perez left without a seat in 2025. Isack Hadjar will take Lawson’s place at RB. Yuki Tsunoda will remain at RB. There you go. Unofficially official.

Cold take of the weekend

Gavin – The collision on the first corner resulted in a ten second penalty for Max Verstappen. The four time World Champion had a rant on the radio when told about it – “can we add twenty seconds, stupid idiots”. Whilst I can understand the frustration with any penalty he has only himself to blame, and having a pop at the stewards who are only doing their jobs is just not necessary. For someone who drives with such maturity he can be a real child at times.

Chelsea – The 2024 chapter won’t be closed until the Red Bull press officer says it is – we’re still waiting on news about their second seat and Sergio Perez’s future. Yuki Tsunoda out-qualified Liam Lawson 7-0 this year, and has significantly improved both his racecraft and general maturity. Unfortunately, Helmut Marko seems to have a real issue with him, which means it’s Lawson or Isack Hadjar as alternatives. Either way it’ll be a merry Christmas for Perez, who’s set to get a tasty payout should he be released. Feliz Navidad!

Graeme – 2024 has been a fun season to watch. For the first couple of months, it was getting predictable, but from late June onwards, when Red Bull got the yips and the field caught up, things got interesting. The fact that Leclerc, Sainz, Russell, Hamilton, Verstappen, Piastri and Norris all won multiple races this year was brilliant. At every race weekend we didn’t know who was going to be on Pole and who was going to win each race, which is exactly how it should be. With only 104 days until the Australian Grand Prix, the 2025 season can’t come soon enough for this fan.

Aiden – I’m really struggling to see any of the departing drivers, Perez (TBC), Kevin Magnussen, Guanyu Zhou or Valterri Bottas, getting a permanent F1 seat in the future. Just look at the young talent coming through in Formula 2 and beyond; Franco Colapinto is surely in a lot of team’s minds for 2026 and beyond and there’s plenty of others too.

 

Bonus Pictures of the Week

Lewis Hamilton saying goodbye to his Mercedes after twelve years.

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